Fortress & castleSofia & Western Bulgaria

Bozhenishki Urvich, the Mountain Fortress of Sevast Ognyan

Bozhenishki Urvich is a ruined medieval fortress on the northern slope of the Lakavishki ridge in the western Balkan Mountains, about 3 km south of the village of Bozhenitsa and 20 km from Botevgrad. It is famous for the stone inscription of Sevast Ognyan and for a cistern, a rock chapel and thick walls that remain on the hill. A short marked walk leads up to it.

A fallen tree after a storm in 1918 exposed a message carved in stone by a medieval governor who swore he had kept faith with his tsar. Nearby, a hoard of 1,327 silver coins was found.

WhereLakavishki ridge, western Balkan Mountains, 3 km south of Bozhenitsa and about 20 km from Botevgrad, at 750 m above sea level

TypeRuined medieval fortress with an early Byzantine past, a monument of national significance

Best forHistory lovers, hikers looking for a short climb, and anyone curious about medieval inscriptions

Getting thereBy asphalt road to the rest base “Urvich”, then about 20 minutes on foot along a marked path

The history of Bozhenishki Urvich

According to archaeological studies carried out in 1972, the rocky spur above Bozhenitsa was inhabited as far back as prehistoric times. The first fortifications date from the fifth and sixth centuries, when the hill formed one link in the early Byzantine defence system. Pottery and early Byzantine coins of the emperors Justin (518–527) and Justinian I (527–565) found during excavation suggest that the fortress was probably built in that period. Archaeologists later traced three rings of walls: two from around the turn of the fifth and sixth centuries, and one from the fourteenth.

The fortress flourished in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries under the Second Bulgarian Empire, when the outermost wall was raised across the only accessible approach, from the north, on the side of Bozhenitsa. At the end of the fourteenth century it was the seat of the boyar Ognen (Ognyan), a local governor with the title of kephale under Tsar Ivan Shishman, who ruled from 1371 to 1395. Inside the walls lie a cistern about 10 metres deep, plastered with mortar, and a chapel cut into the rock. The south-western corner tower kept sight contact with neighbouring strongholds such as Panitsa Kale above Lipnitsa, Valchigrad above Litakovo and Cheshkovgrad above Vrachesh Monastery.

The final years are told by the finds. Near the gate, at a depth of 0.2 to 1.5 metres, a hoard of 1,327 silver groschen and half-groschen was uncovered; the coins bore the portrait of Tsar Ivan Alexander but had been re-marked with the name of his successor Ivan Shishman. The historian Hristo Matanov observed that they were clipped at the edges to save silver, a sign of inflationary pressure and of a state treasury strained by war. Hundreds of arrowheads and spearheads, stone cannonballs and the skeletons of fighters were found beside the walls, and they support the tradition of a battle between Sevast Ognyan and the Ottomans around 1395.

The site became known to scholars in the winter of 1918–1919, when an inscription was exposed beneath the roots of an old sycamore in the locality of Gradishteto. A local goatherd, Nedyalko Umenkovski, found it, and Academician Petar Mutafchiev was the first to read it. The fortress was declared a monument of national significance in 1966, and from 1971 an expedition named “Sevast Ognyan”, led by Pavel Dishev, excavated it for about eight years, after which work turned to conservation and restoration. Among the remains are a necropolis of 48 graves and a monastery complex below the fortress.

Curious facts about Bozhenishki Urvich

The inscription begins with “I, Dragomir, wrote” and then turns to Ognyan, who says he was kephale under Tsar Shishman, suffered much evil and kept faith with the tsar while the Turks were fighting.
Petar Mutafchiev noticed that the carver had not measured the surface in advance: he began with big letters and shrank them, lengthening the lines, as the space ran out.
The hoard found near the gate held 1,327 silver coins, minted with the image of Ivan Alexander but re-marked with the name of Ivan Shishman and showing the Virgin with the infant Christ on the front.
The south-western tower has a secret exit 7.4 metres long and a hiding place for eight people; both were found filled with earth.
The fortress is reported to have held sight contact with four other strongholds in the surrounding hills, from Panitsa Kale to Bodilovgrad.
Pavel Dishev suggested that the grave of Sevast Ognyan lies on the rock massif in front of the Voivode’s Stone, the fortress’s main lookout point.

Tours near Bozhenishki Urvich

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Half Day Tour around Sofia and the mountains with Thermal Spa

★ 5 (47 reviews) · 6 h

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ATV Off Road Tour Near Sofia Guided Quad Bike Experience

★ 5 (28 reviews) · 1.5 h

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Plovdiv, Asen's Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery small group tour with pickup

★ 5 (27 reviews) · 9 h

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Full-day Rila Monastery, Stob Pyramids and St Ivan Rilski Cave from Sofia

★ 5 (24 reviews) · 6 h

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Visiting Bozhenishki Urvich: what to expect

An asphalt road runs to the municipal rest base “Urvich”, and from there a marked path leads to the fortress in roughly 20 minutes on foot.
On the hill look for the double line of walls, the outer one 4 to 6 metres high with four buttresses, the deep plastered cistern and the chapel cut into the rock.
In the north-east part of the site are the remains of a tower, a rock dwelling and a rock church with a damaged icon of St George.
Opening arrangements and the state of the site are not given in the sources, so check the current conditions before you go.
Other places of this guide in the area include the Vrachesh Monastery, about 16 km away, and the Hristo Botev Monument, about 10 km away.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Bozhenishki Urvich is

Photos of Bozhenishki Urvich

Questions

What is Bozhenishki Urvich?

It is a ruined medieval fortress with early Byzantine origins on the northern slope of the Lakavishki ridge in the western Balkan Mountains. It was declared a site of national significance in 1966.

Where is Bozhenishki Urvich and how do I get there?

The fortress lies 3 km south of the village of Bozhenitsa and about 20 km from Botevgrad, at 750 m. An asphalt road leads to the rest base “Urvich”, then a marked path takes about 20 minutes.

What does the Bozhenishki inscription say?

Dragomir states that he wrote it, and Sevast Ognyan says he was kephale under Tsar Shishman, suffered much evil during the Turkish wars and kept his faith in the tsar.

Who was Sevast Ognyan?

He was a boyar and local governor with the title of kephale under Tsar Ivan Shishman at the end of the fourteenth century. The fortress served as his seat.

What was found at Bozhenishki Urvich?

Finds include a hoard of 1,327 silver coins, hundreds of arrowheads and spearheads, stone cannonballs and skeletons of fighters. A necropolis of 48 graves was also uncovered.

What can I see at the fortress today?

Visitors can see the remains of the walls and towers, a 10-metre-deep cistern and a rock-cut chapel. The surviving remains also include a rock dwelling and a rock church.